Foot-guard.



P. W. MOSHER.

FOOT GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15,1912.

Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

Fe fer [Vol/2 631 IINITED STATES @FFIQFi.

PETER VI. MOSI-IEB, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNGR OF ONE-HALF T0 HORACE C-r. LEARNED, OF STOCKTQN, CALIFGRNIA.

FOOT-GUARD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER W. MosHnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot Guards; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked therein, which form a partof this application.

This invention relates to improvements in railway construction and particularly to an improvement upon switch construction, the object of the invention being to produce a means whereby the space between the switch rail and the main rail of a railway will be protected in such a manner as to prevent any person from being caught and held between the same which so often results in injury and loss of life.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects, I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a switch rail showing my improved structure therein. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line X X of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 1s a top plan view of a guard hinge. Fig.

4 is an end view of a modified form of hinge from that shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 designates one of the main rails of a railway, while 2 designates the switch rail.

In constructing my improved invention I provide a securing means on each of the rails 1 and 2 which is preferably composed of hook members 3 shown in Fig. 2, and I then provide a plurality of hinge members 4 having recesses adapted to engage the members 3. In practice when the switch is open these Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 15, 1912.

Patented Jan. "2,1913.

Serial No. 709,353.

hinge members 4 project across the intervening space just underneath the web of the rails and form a substantial covering or guard for the intervening space between the rails 1 and 2 whereby a person would be unable to get the foot lodged therebetween. Then when the switch is closed these hinge members fold up as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, which as can be readily seen does not interfere with the operation of the switch.

Since of course the distance between the switch rail at its outer and inner end varies, I provide a plurality of these hinge members as shown in Fig. 1 in order that they will not buckle up, and further at its widest point I provide the hook members 3 on the rail 1 with lengthened pins 3 provided with nuts or similar stop means 3* on the outer ends interposed between which nuts 3* and the rail 1 are tension springs 6 which will permit the hinge members to be slightly moved laterally without breaking the same if the rail 2 happens to move a little more one time than at another.

Fig. 3 shows an ordinary form of pin and eye hinge, while Fig. 4 shows a modified form in which the leaves 7 of the hinge members are connected by flexible eye members 8 which under some circumstances might be more flexible for the purpose of the inven tion than the ordinary hinge.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice'such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described comprising the combination with a fixed rail and a movable rail, of a hinge interposed between and connected to each of said rails, such hinge comprising two fiat members disposed in a horizontal manner, such flat members being hinged together horizontally along their inner edges, such hinge being adapted to fold vertically between said rails when said movable rail is moved toward said fixed rail, as described.

2. A device of the character described posed on said pins between said rail and comprising a fixed rail and a movable rail, said stop members, as described. 10 securing means disposed on each of said In testimony whereof I aflix my signature rails, hinge members adapted to engage said in presence of two Witnesses.

securing means, the securing means of one of PETER W. MUSHER.

said rails being provided With pins movable Witnesses:

through said rail, a stop means on the outer PERCY S. WEBSTER,

ends of said pins and resilient members dis- STEPHEN N. BLEWETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

